The lifeblood of the nearly $3.5-trillion economy, the monsoon brings nearly 70% of the rain India needs to water farms and refill reservoirs and aquifers. The monsoon is expected to advance swiftly from next week and bring down temperatures in northern India, another weather official said. The heatwave in northern states will ease by the weekend, he said. The maximum temperature in India's northern states ranges between 42 degrees Celsius and 46 degrees C (108 degrees Fahrenheit to 115 degrees F) this week, which is nearly 3 degrees C to 5 degrees C above normal, the IMD data showed. India has received 18% less rainfall than normal since the season began on June 1, the IMD says.
